Hungry after visiting parts of the Hofburg palace museums, I perused g-maps for nearby cafes for a…read morebreak and a snack. The Dorotheum Cafe popped up close by so in that direction I headed. Unbeknownst to me, this was actually inside the Dorotheum auction house and we spent a good several minutes walking around outside then inside trying to figure out where it was (head to the second floor when you go inside). Having entered with no prior knowledge that this was an auction house, let alone one of the world's oldest* and the largest auction house in continental Europe, this was an exciting discovery since there was so much to see. The ground floor upon entry is filled with enclosed glass display cases like those you'd find in luxury jewelry retailers and for good reason--the pieces were hefty in prices, the creme de la creme of gems and precious metals. And when you see signs pointing to famous artists like Picasso, Monet, Warhol, Klimt and Schiele (just to name a few) up for auction you know you're in the big leagues for art collectors. The three floors inside are filled to the brim with cabinets of items and walls of artwork. It was refreshing to see that not everything is an ultra luxury item--they had housewares, furniture, antiques, jewelry and art within a reasonable range for the average customer looking for something unique and nice. It's free to peruse and really felt like walking around in a museum with price tags. Sales people were available to open cases for you to look at items if interested. For more info: https://www.dorotheum.com/en/ *Established by Emperor Joseph I in 1707, headquartered at this exact location in Vienna, they also have branches in other European countries.

Dorotheum is a must visit when in Vienna. There are gift shops and some amazing art pieces, which…read moreyou can purchase.

Slightly more upmarket and expensive design furniture and decor store on Mariahilferstraße…read more Some great objects here and definitely a hippy asiatic feeling to the furniture with lots of colors and jingly-jangly bits and pieces. Bright colored bits and bobs abound on two floors here with books and picture and plates and chairs and tables and all. The only reason for the four stars is that it is a little more expensive than its "rivals" but saying that it is good quality and funky.

Kare has some pretty interesting things for the home. The styles vary greatly, from vintage to chic…read moreto slightly bizarre. The employees are friendly and speak English quite well. When I moved to Austria, I learned that my apartment did not come with lighting fixtures, so I had to purchase them. Kare has a very good selection of lighting fixtures at various budget levels. Thy have more unique styles in case you don't want the "Ikea" look. I do want to caution that you should browse the store and check out the item and then search for it on amazon.de, since they have a Kare selection as well. Much to my surprise and dismay, two of the fixtures I bought in store were more than 15 euros cheaper online. One fixture I considered was 189 in store and 115 on amazon. Wack! I'm not sure if Kare price matches, so definitely shop Amazon's Kare store! I'm giving 3 stars because of pricing inconsistency and because they don't seem to have many of their large items in stock at the store. Most likely it will have to be ordered. One last thing - try the Kare store inside of the Leiner across the street. They had several of the same items at better prices than the actual Kare. Plus, their warehouse is huge.